United Center Blues

February 26, 2020

The stench from the garbage emanating from the United Center is so bad you should be wearing a face mask. For the third consecutive year, neither the Bulls nor the Blackhawks will make the playoffs. This is hard to accomplish when half the teams in their respective conferences reach the post season.

What I can’t figure out is how good the Hawks were prior to the All-Star break. They had pulled to within three points of a playoff spot. They came out of the break and lost 4 out of 5 games to teams they were battling with for the final playoff spot. The next two games were home games and the thought was maybe they could get back on track. However, the problem is that they have a losing record at home. This should never happen. The first game was a 6-3 loss to the N.Y. Rangers where they didn’t register a pulse. The next game, the Hawks beat the Nashville Predators. Because it was an overtime win, they only gained 1 point. They reside in last place in their division.

The Hawks have goal scorers. Jonathan Toews is having a good season and Patrick Kane remains one of the best players in the NHL. Brandon Saad is having his best year since rejoining the Hawks. Alex DeBrincat is snake bitten and his goal production is down, though he is creating multiple chances.  They are getting contributions from Dominik Kubalik, who leads all rookies in goals, and fellow rookie Kirby Dach keeps improving. So what’s the problem? It may be lack of speed, as they continue to employ the dump and run offense, while opponents pass and skate the puck into Hawks territory.

A bigger problem is the defense can’t get the puck out of their own end. When they finally do clear the zone, the offense dumps it in to change lines because they are exhausted. Therein lies the big problem: the only reliable defensemen are Connor Murphy and rookie sensation Adam Bovqist. Duncan Keith is still good. However, at this stage of his career he has too much ice time which leads to mistakes, particularly takeaways. They also never come out with a possession when fighting for the puck along the boards

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The Blackhawks problems are nothing compared to the Bulls. In the third year of their rebuild, they’ve gotten worse. People point out to me that the Bulls are plagued by multiple injuries. Even without the injuries they wouldn’t be much better. To start the season, prior to injuries they were 2-6.

Believe it or not, there are teams worse than the Bulls. As of right now the Bulls have the eighth worst record in the league. The Bulls would have to be extremely lucky to avoid another inconsequential pick in the draft. The Bulls need an impact player and should put together a good offer to a team with a top three pick. Maybe Zach LaVine and your first round pick?

The only positive is, rumor has it that there will be changes in management. John Paxson will probably will be in charge of hiring a new General Manager. If this person has complete autonomy, his first move should be getting rid of Coach Jim Boylen. Boylen continues to say and do stupid things. Calling time-outs when the Bulls are being blown out. There are many examples, but my personal favorite is, the Bulls were losing by 25 points to the Raptors and he called a time out with 1:04 left in the game. He continues to refer to games as good losses. To me, there is no such thing.

Hawks Slogan One Goal Now Refers to Making the Playoffs

January 31, 2020

Three seasons ago the Chicago Blackhawks were swept out of the playoffs in the first round. The following year they missed making the playoffs. Last year with the team struggling, the Hawks let go Joel Quenneville, the coach of three Stanley Cup championship teams. He was replaced by 33 year old Jeremy Colliton, coach of their minor league affiliate the Rockford Ice Hogs. Initially under Colliton the Hawks were an unmitigated disaster. They were playing their worst hockey since Rocky Wirtz took control of the team. The Hawks had fallen out of playoff contention by the All-Star break.

Colliton made changes that turned things around. When he inserted Erik Gustafsson on the point, the power play was the best in the NHL. By putting Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the same line, both had career years. Playing inspired hockey, the Hawks were making a push to reach the playoffs. However, the hole they had dug for themselves was too deep to overcome. They ran out of gas and missed the playoffs.

Buoyed by their play at the end of last year, I was optimistic about this season. Once again the Hawks started slowly.  Bad and inconsistent play landed them in last place in their division. However, it seemed  as if a light switch went on and the Hawks went on an 11-5 tear prior to the All-Star break. This stretch  gives them a legitimate chance of reaching the playoffs.

Part of the blame for the poor start was that the Hawks suffered a number of injuries.  Connor Murphy, who I think is the Hawks best defensemen,, missed the first nine games. Calvin de Haan, acquired in a trade, was injured for the first two games and played a total of only 29 before going down with a season ending injury. Duncan Keith had to sit out a few games. Luckily, Brent Seabrook is out for the season. The defense is being saved by the outstanding goal tending of Robin Lehner.

Let’s start with two injuries to key players. Brandon Saad was having his best season since the Hawks reacquired him. After missing a month he is back and still playing well. Goal scorer Dylan Strome has been in and out for most of the year. He is close to returning. Hopefully when he comes back he can help Alex DeBrincat regain the form that netted him 41 goals last year.

The kids are all right. The decision to hang on to 18 year-old Kirby Dach is paying off. Although he’s not filling up the score sheet, he is getting better and better. Defenseman, 19 year-old Adam Boqvist has looked really good and will also improve. I believe both will be NHL stars. Then there is 24 year-old Dominik Kubalik who leads all rookies with 21 goals.

u are tempting fate if he has to save 35-40 shots a game. This is exasperated by the dump and run offense. More often than not, the opponents take possession and head up the ice. The other obstacle in reaching the playoffs is their February schedule is brutal.  It includes eleven road games all against contending teams. We’ll know a lot more regarding their playoff aspirations when March arrives.

The Sad and Bad Chicago Bulls

January 16, 2020

When is John Paxson going to be held accountable? At the start of the season he said the Bulls would be competitive and make the playoffs. Once again, they are on the outside looking in. The Bulls record is 15-27. They are 1-16 versus teams with .500 records. They can only beat teams with worse records than theirs. Nine of their wins have come against the woeful Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons who are a combined 37-84. Subtract that and they have only won 6 games. Paxon has been in charge since 2003 and has only had success in the Derrick Rose era. Sadly, this was short lived as Rose suffered the first of many injuries in the opening round of the playoffs in his third year.

Rose tried to come back but was let go because he couldn’t co-exist with Jimmy Butler. Butler had made himself a star. He showed considerable growth in talent and ego. He refused to adapt to former coach Fred Hoiberg’s offense, playing his own selfish game. Paxon thought he could turn things around by acquiring past their prime players, Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo. The Bulls did reach the playoffs, facing the Boston Celtics in a best of five series. Rondo spearheaded two upset victories in Boston. He injured his thumb and was out for the remainder of the series. Butler, who thinks he’s a superstar, couldn’t carry the team to one victory even with two home games.

Seeing the Bulls were going nowhere with Butler, Paxson traded the prima donna headache and contract to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return, they received the seventh overall pick, forward Lauri Markkanen Markkanen seemed to be a really good player. However, it seems he has regressed back to his rookie season. They also obtained guard Zach LaVine. LaVine is a scoring machine   but plays no defense and makes poor decisions. Neither player is capable of elevating the other three on the court.  After the trade, Paxson proclaimed the Bulls were in a rebuild mold to buy him some time.

The following year the Bulls were trying to lose games trying to receive a high draft pick. The Bulls weren’t bad enough and ended up with the seventh overall pick, Wendell Carter Jr. Hurt most of his first year, the Bulls believed he would make major strides this season. Prior to his current injury, there were games when he reached double digits in rebounds and points. With his size, he should get 10 rebounds every game. When you only average 11 points a game, the double-double is nothing to crow about. Part of the problem the numbers aren’t better is because he spends a good portion of the game on the bench in foul trouble. He would be the perfect second string player for a good team. This year, the Bulls found themselves with another inconsequential seventh overall pick. Coby White may have been the best player left and was yet still behind Kris Dunn on the depth chart. With the injuries he has gotten more playing time. He sometimes shoots lights out and times when he’s cold. This will happen to a young player when 90% of his shots are 3 pointers.

Three years into the rebuild and the Bulls haven’t improved one bit. You can’t build a competitive team when your number one pick is seventh overall. Did anyone think Paxson would succeed? Most people who are this incompetent would not keep their jobs. However, there is no better job security than working for the loyalist Reinsdorfs.

Paxon has an abysmal track record when it comes to coaching and things are no different with Jim Boylen. He is the antitheses of a modern NBA coach. He reminds me a of fictional coach Norman Dale in the movie “Hoosiers”. He paces the court and yells at his players. Since Boylen has failed as a college coach and there is no chance in Hell he will be offered another pro job, maybe he can get a high school job. His offense centers on fast pace up the court. This gives him the luxury of not setting up plays. The one play he calls is where LaVine hogs the ball. This is also a bad shooting team and when you miss a lot of shots (especially 3-pointers), it puts pressure on your defense to set up. I know that the Bulls steal balls and force turnovers. If they don’t, the set defense is lousy. They fail to cover up 3 point shooters and don’t communicate. This becomes very apparent when opponents get uncontested lay-ups on pick and rolls. These are things a good coach can improve.

A good coach knows he should be on an even keel, not to get too high or too low. This will help his players do the same. However, Bulls management, players and coach get euphoric with wins over teams like Atlanta, Washington etc. I am also sick and tired of Boylen putting a positive spin on every loss. Paxson can’t see this coach is a mistake? Do he and Ryan Pace hang out? The Bulls need a star that makes his teammates better. My suggestion is do whatever it takes to trade for a top three pick. If it means giving up two number one picks, so be it. Don’t be afraid to include Markkanen or LaVine in a package deal.

Bears Fall Flat

January 5, 2020

Prior to the 2019 season the Bears felt if they found a reliable kicker it would take them to the Super Bowl. They could not foresee a myriad of other problems. The Bears recently called a press conference to discuss the season. The two biggest problems for the Bears are the people addressing the media, General Manager Ryan Pace and Coach Matt Nagy. Their fingerprints are all over this disappointing 8-8 record.

Unlike 2018, this year’s Bear defense was ravaged by injuries. Pro-Bowler, Akiem Hicks went down early in the year. Opposing teams were able to double and sometimes triple team Khalil Mack, and the pass rush was non-existent the rest of the year. With no pressure, opposing quarterbacks were able to pick apart the secondary. The bears thought Chuck Pagano could replace Vic Fangio without skipping a beat. Pagano never fixed this problem with different schemes or blitz packages. The Bears lost the heart and soul of the defense when they lost Danny Trevathan. Nick Kwiatkoski did an admiral job filling in however, he can’t replace the leadership and veteran savvy of Trevathan. Roquan Smith had regained last year’s form when he went down with 3 games left. None the less the Bears defense ranked eighth in the league.  Pace moved up in the draft to pick up Leonard Floyd 3 years ago. Although he has not improved and was invisible this year they have exercised his fifth year option.

If you don’t admit the problem, you can’t solve it. This is where the Bears are when it comes to quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Pace is fully committed to Trubisky because he can’t admit his mistake of drafting him second overall in 2017. He and Nagy are talking about improvement when he actually regressed. Nagy was brought in to develop Trubisky who ranked 28^th in passer efficiency. He has failed miserably. Nagy’s awful play calling doesn’t help.  Nagy can’t install a running game. While most teams run to set up the pass he does the opposite. Also, you could have a touchdown drive with eight running plays and two passes. Nagy doesn’t like that type of offense so he would change to his pass happy offense on the next possession. The offensive line is a mess. They drafted center James Daniels but continue playing him in the line while Cody Whitehair snaps the ball, often erratically. Charles Leno Jr. who is signed for 2 more years is the most penalized offensive lineman in the NFL.  Another fine 4-year contract from Pace. They got no production from tight end. Trey Burton was injured all year. Adam Shaheen, the third pick in the second round of the 2017 draft, is another Pace bust that can’t play. They had to start players from the practice squad. The only positive on offense is Allen Robinson.

There is a lot of work to be done this off-season. Hopefully key players recover from their injuries. The softer schedule should help.  However, Nagy is still your coach and Trubisky is still the quarterback. Pace said he is considering an upgrade at quarterback and thinking of letting Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray go. What kind of chance is there of getting a capable quarterback will sign just to back up Trubisky?  I am really excited to see who the Bears select with the sixth round pick they obtained for the Jordan Howard trade…

NFL Playoffs Must See TV

December 31, 2019

As a football fan, I love the upcoming NFL Playoffs. This week and next, you’ll be able to watch two games on both Saturday and Sunday. After the wild card games there will eight teams left. I will list the top four teams in each conference. All teams, with the exception of the Houston Texans, have a legitimate shot playing in Super Bowl LIV.

NFC

1. New Orleans Saints

2. San Francisco Forty-Niners

3. Green Bay Packers

4. Seattle Seahawks

I’m really looking forward to the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers facing off against the New Orleans Saints Drew Brees. San Francisco has already had two close games against Seattle, therefore this will be fun as well.

AFC

1. Baltimore Ravens

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. New England Patriots

4. Houston Texans

I’m really looking forward to watching football’s most dominant player, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. He can take over games. The Ravens are also great defensively. Despite what transpired during the regular season, you can’t count out Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s Patriots. Same goes for Andy Reid’s Chiefs. If you like to see a lot of points, watch Kansas City versus New England.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Matt Nagy: Bears New Head Coach

Let's Talk Sports

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Matt Nagy: Bears New Head Coach

January 9, 2018

The Chicago Bulls, though getting better, are basically a bad team. The Blackhawks, who usually provide Chicago with championship hopes are sputtering. With their most important player Corey Crawford out, making the playoffs is the one goal. Leave it to the Bears to grab the headlines and take our eyes off the winter warriors of the United Center.

The Bears search for the 16^th coach in history ended after one week of what was to be an extensive search. They did connect with 6 candidates, although only four were truly under consideration. They were all offensive coordinators whose main focus should be to develop Mitchell Trubisky.

Let’s look at the candidates. The Vikings' Pat Shurmur developed an unknown quarterback, Casey Keenum, to lead a very good offense. His hiring would also take something away from a division rival. Patriots' Josh McDaniels has previous coaching experience and oversaw the explosive Patriots offense. Eagles coordinator John DeFilippo developed second year quarterback Chris Wentz into one of the best in the NFL. He is in the picture when it comes to MVP voting.

If any of these three wanted the job, they were all better choices than Matt Nagy. Two of the other candidates developed a quarterback and the third grew with Tom Brady. There is no evidence to show Nagy can do this. His quarterback Alex Smith has been around since 2005, so no development was needed. His experience is limited to calling plays for a total of five games. Although they did average 28 points in those games, he was inept in his last game. He couldn’t put together any plays to score one point in the second half loss to Tennessee. Granted, he lost a key player, the team he is coming to loses multiple players.

In the long run, the coach doesn’t matter. In his introduction Nagy said he’s going to evaluate his players. What he’ll find is a lack of talent. They can’t catch passes or play on the offensive line, both of which are greatly needed for Tru

Na Na Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye

December 16, 2019

There are two meaningless games left in the Bears disappointing 2019 season. Losing 21-13 to the Green Bay Packers has ended their playoff quest. However, the Bears were essentially eliminated after back to back losses to the lowly L.A. Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. Think how much better you would feel if the Bears record was 9-5 not 7-7. For good measure, you can also look back to a costly loss against the Oakland Raiders.

The anguish from the Packers game came in the first quarter. The Bears had a fumble recovery on a punt at midfield. In one of the worst calls I’ve seen the Bears were penalized with a personal foul for interference. This gave the ball back to the Packers at the Bear 35 and from there they easily scored to take a 7-0 lead. Instant replay was installed to make sure the calls made on the field were correct. A personal foul is not reviewable. The refs have made a plethora of egregious calls over the past few years.  Here’s hoping at the next owners meeting they look at making more questionable calls reviewable.  I’m sure the networks televising the games wouldn’t mind the extra ad revenue for the delays.

The main reason for this disastrous season has been the offense. Sunday’s game was no different. Once again offensive guru Coach Matt Nagy’s offense failed to score 20 points. In seven games they have scored 16 or less points. In the two games against the Packers they have scored only one touchdown. Sunday the Bears had their highest yard output of the season but failed to score after drives that stalled in the Packers red zone, resulting in field goals. QB Mitch Trubisky had 29 completions in 53 attempts for 348 yards. Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller each had over 100 receiving yards.  The running game is pathetic. All year long I’ve watched David Montgomery have positive yardage in the “I” formation. Not once were the Bears lined up that way. Montgomery had 14 carries for a measly 39 yards. On one possession with four yards needed, Nagy inexplicably called two Montgomery runs for no gain. Trubisky has a knack for being good and prefers a moving pocket. Nagy rarely called a roll-out play although they worked. Play calling wasn’t the only problem. Nagy challenged a play; Packer running back Demonte Jones running out of bounds on his touchdown run. It wasn’t even close. So after burning one time-out, he couldn’t afford to challenge a close call when Robinson was ruled out of bounds at the one-yard line

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Overall, the defense was pretty good. After allowing a score on a brief drive they fell apart on two long touchdown drives. It seems the Packers always get receivers wide open. With no pressure, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has no problem completing passes. By the way, there’s an APB out for Khalil Mack.  They ended up giving up only 21 points. They also completely stopped the Packer offense in the fourth quarter. The offense got the ball back a couple of times, once at the Bears 40-yard line. However, in a microcosm of the season, the Bears offense couldn’t capitalize on these opportunities.

I never thought the Bears would win their last three games to reach the playoffs. Even if they did win all three, they were going to need some help. One thing needed was the Rams losing two games. The Rams were upset by the Dallas Cowboys. There is a good chance they will lose again against the San Francisco Forty-Niners. The other was the Minnesota Vikings losing one game, which could happen against the Packers. Alas, if the Bears were only 9-5 it would a much different scenario.